Whats the best breed of dog to go with children and small animals?

Question

We have a 5 yr old daughter and a 2 yr old chihuahua, plus 2 1 yr old cats. We would like small to medium size dog.

Answer 1

I've heard Cocker Spaniels aren't that good with kids, but my aunt and uncle have one and she's excellent, they have had her since their kids were 5 or 6. Beagles are wonderful with kids and other dogs, and don't get much bigger than 30-35 lbs. Mine was 27 lbs full grown. Also, try an animal shelter. There are tons of mixed breed and pure bred dogs available, and they should be able to find one that suits what you're looking for!

Answer 2

The first step is to make sure that your son knows how to handle and respect a dog first. A dog of any size can easily feel threatened by children even if the child has loving intentions. I'm not sure what breed to recommend, but it's great that you're doing some research beforehand. If you're going to adopt, go through a pure-breed rescue instead of going to a shelter. A rescue group will be able to tell you if a dog is good with children or not. In many cases they should be able to give you some background on the dog and they will place a dog only in a home where they think it will fit in nicely.

Answer 3

Probably of one of the better small dogs you could get is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. They are a submissive breed, meaning that they are great with other animals and other dogs in addition to being incredibly patient with kids of all ages. They are also "people" dogs. They love their families and will do whatever you do, whether it's go for a five-mile walk or sit on your lap while you watch a movie.

A good medium size dog might be an English Springer Spaniel. They have a good personality for families with other pets as long as they're not birds! They also sometimes view dogs of the same sex as competition. They are very smart, energetic and eager to please, which makes them fairly easy to train but they'll need an outlet for some of their energy. They are fine for kids as long as the two parties are conditioned for each other.

Answer 4

I have a 5 year old chihuahua - very small only 3 pounds. I bought a shitzu puppy and they get along quite well and play together. Both are female and I think my chihuahua just started mothering her because she was a puppy when I got her. The shitzu has such a wonderful temperment - she is a doll and follows me all over the house.

Answer 5

Boston Terriers (In my experience) are excellent with all other animals. I had one (that I lost a year ago) that was not excellent with children, but she did not hurt children. I raised this dog with just she and I in the house so there \were no loud noises or screaming in the house. The dog was a little nervous around squealing children but I don't believe this is common with the breed; I think it is just because she grew up around quiet for the most part. She was excellent with children and loved them except for the noise part.

Answer 6

Golden Retreiver

Answer 7

I would suggest you get the opposite sex.

I think any breed bred for guard work will be fine with children and other animals of the same family. In your case I suggest
Akita - Staffie - Rottie - Shar Pei

Answer 8

An English Cocker Spaniel would be a good choice. Or better still, go to a rescue centre and they will give you the perfect dog!

Answer 9

Any breed of dog is great to go with children and small
animals. you just have train the dog and the other
animals to get along.

Answer 10

any breed such as lab, retriever, cocker spaniel, springer spaniel would be toooooooo strong for your child to be safley around, in my experience, working with dogs over 10 years, cavalier king charles are a lovely, gentle breed, my boyfriends daughter was terrified of dogs, so i got a female cavalier, now his daughter adores her, and my cavaliers best buddy is a teacup chihuahua called Benny, so believe me, if you go for a female cavalier, you wont regret it.